 Neuroethics Essay ContestThe Neuroethics Essay Contest aims to promote interest in neuroethics among students and trainees early in their academic careers. The contest is held annually and is open to any student in high school or secondary school, any post-secondary student, and any postdoctoral fellow or similar early-career trainee. The contest is organized by the members of the INS Student/Postdoc Committee and leadership from the International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA), and has been supported every year by Dr. Michael Patterson, former editor of the Kopf Carrier and long-time supporter of neuroethics. The 2020 contest has concluded and recognitions are listed below. You may review the most recent essay call for an overview about author eligibility, essay topics, and submission instructions. Recognitions2020The INS and IYNA have selected the following authors for their outstanding essay submissions to the respective categories of the Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2020. Links to essays are made available as authors grant permission to share or when essays are published in outside publications. ACADEMIC WINNER
Sarah Zinn is a doctoral candidate at The University of Chicago in the midst of a career change from chemistry to social psychology. In her spare time, while working on her chemistry doctorate, Sarah is researching the effect of acutely stigmatizing interactions on cognitive task performance. After degree completion, Sarah hopes to transition to a postdoctoral position to research the psychological and behavioral responses to cultural constructions of the body and how these constructions impact science, medicine and policy. ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTIONS
GENERAL AUDIENCE WINNER
Eddie Jacobs is a research assistant at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities. Having worked on scientific and policy projects at the Beckley Foundation, a UK-based NGO that researches psychedelics, in October he will begin a PhD in outlining the ethical challenges of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, how these challenges might best be met, and how they invite a reconsideration of frameworks of psychiatric practice. GENERAL AUDIENCE HONORABLE MENTIONS
HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Cherie Fernandes is a rising senior at The Lawrenceville School. She has only just started exploring the world of neuroscience through independent reading and research in psychophysics via a virtual summer internship at Perelman's Gold Lab, an opportunity for which she is immensely grateful. She is particularly interested in the interdisciplinary nature of the field, and would love to learn more about topics in the realm of cognitive science as she continues her education. HIGH SCHOOL HONORABLE MENTIONS
2019Top student essays selected in the Neuroethics Essay Contest – The INS and International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) have selected Khayla Black, Sunidhi Ramesh and Prithvi Nathan as the winning authors of the 2019 contest. Each winner received a 1-year membership to the INS and has been invited to be recognized at the 2019 annual meeting. The winning essays will be published on the Dana Foundation website, and all eligible submissions to the high school category will be considered for publication in the IYNA Journal. Academic Essay Khayla BlackNew York University Shanghai Khayla Black is a sophomore at New York University Shanghai majoring in neural sciences. Her research interests include synaptic physiology, aging, and the molecular basis of learning and memory. She hopes to earn a doctorate in neuroscience and study synaptic physiology and how neurotransmission changes with age. Outside of neuroscience, she spends her time working in the quantum technologies group at NYU Shanghai and running.
General Audience Sunidhi RameshSidney Kimmel Medical College Sunidhi Ramesh is a second year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the managing editor of The Neuroethics Blog. She is also the education co-director for the Philadelphia Human Rights Clinic. Sunidhi graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University in 2018 with degrees in sociology and neuroscience. Her current research centers around neurology and neurosurgery, particularly on perceptions of invasive brain surgery, novel acute ischemic stroke interventions, and the implementation of tele-stroke protocols in hospital emergency rooms.
High SchoolPrithvi NathanThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
2018Academic
General Audience
2017Academic
General Audience
2016Academic
2015Academic
2014Academic
Supporters
Winning authors 2019: Khayla Black, Sunidhi Ramesh and Prithvi Nathan; pictured with contest supporter Dr. Michael Patterson, far left, and Hank Greely, past president of the INS, back row second from right. Dr. Michael PattersonThe INS started the Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2014 and Dr. Mike Patterson has been involved from the beginning, publishing winning essays in the quarterly trade publication Kopf Carrier and providing two winning authors with a $250 travel stipend to attend the annual meeting. Although retired from his role as editor of the Kopf Carrier, Dr. Patterson continues to promote interest in neuroethics among students and early career professionals through his support for the contest. About the INSThe International Neuroethics Society is an interdisciplinary group of scholars, scientists, clinicians, and other professionals dedicated to encouraging and inspiring research and dialogue on the responsible use of advances in brain science. Practitioners from a wide range of disciplines join the Society to interact, learn, and participate in critical neuroethics discussions that further this growing field. |